


Redemption

by Macx



Category: Mummies Alive
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-20
Updated: 2011-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-19 15:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/202399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sequel to Rebirth. Set has freed himself from the Mirror and yearns for revenge on Rapses. Aside from his Guardians, an unlikely ally interferes with Set's plans as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Redemption

  
He was free! With a triumphant cry he wriggled through the narrow opening, which barely wide enough to let his bulky form through. The opening snapped shut with an audible, popping noise, closing the dimension of the Eye of Darkness, locking it away for the next 3500 years to come.  
Set growled darkly at the memories of what had occurred in the other dimension. He called himself lucky that he had come away almost unscathed. The monster had first turned on the weaker of the two gods it had imprisoned to seek revenge on, and this weaker one had been Anubis. That Set had shoved his friend in front of him, fleeing as soon as the monster had made a grab for the hapless jackal, was secondary. Set had no idea whether or not Anubis had survived and escaped or was still inside the Eye. It didn't matter. He had something else to finish first: his revenge on prince Rapses! Set stretched out his feelers to seek the human he wanted to find; the human who had defied and defeated him one too often....

* * *

Presley ran out of the school building, backpack in one hand, skateboard in the other. Last day of school! Weekend! He could hang out with his friends, help Rath, have fun with Nefer-tina and beat Ja-kal at Nintendo again. And then there were always the Beefy Burger trips with Armon. Yup, weekend would be a lot of fun, mainly because his mother was busy in the museum and wouldn't be home throughout the day and maybe not even very often at night.  
"Hey, Presley!"  
He turned and waved at Walter Lu, who was running out of the school building as well. "Hi, Walter."  
"We are going to Yosemite for the weekend," Walter said as they walked down the street to the car park where Walter's father was already waiting. Presley briefly wondered where Cynthia was, then chased that thought away. He told himself that he was over his crush on Cynthia, and if he repeated it over and over again he might just believe it himself.  
"Oh, great," he now said a bit absent-mindedly. He had discovered his 'chariot'. "Have fun!"  
Walter climbed into the car and his father drove off. Presley walked over to where the Hot-Ra was parked in the shade of some trees.  
"Hi, guys! What's up?"  
The four Guardians looked at the sky, a puzzled look on their faces. "Up?" Rath echoed. "The sky...."  
Presley rolled his eyes and jumped into the dragster-like car. "Forget it. So, what have you planned?"  
"Beefy Burger!" Armon announced. "I'm hungry."  
"You just had breakfast!" Nefer-tina told him. "Twice! And you ate all the chocolate chip ice cream!"  
Armon smiled broadly. "Yeah, but that was over an hour ago."  
Ja-kal decided not to comment and Nefer-tina floored the accelerator. The Hot-Ra shot off with Armon calling directions to the nearest fast food joint. Neither of them saw the wolf-like creature hiding in the bushes and which now raised its head, gazing after the Hot-Ra. It pulled out a mobile phone and dialed.  
"The Guardians have picked up the prince," it growled into the speaker when the connection had been established.  
"Good. Follow them," was the response. "Don't lose them."  
"I will not."  
With that the wolf snapped the cell phone shut and secretly followed the car.

* * *

The airport had been as crowded as always and it had taken her five hours from leaving the plane to getting home. Morrigan O'Connor was exhausted and ready to strangle the next person who crossed her path. She paid the cabby, grabbed her luggage and dragged it into her house. She closed the door and basked in the warm silence of familiar surroundings. Two weeks in Europe had been more stress than the vacation-like trip her boss had mentioned. Just a few appearances at the branch of the company in Paris and then a short trip to Edinburgh to see after a newly installed control program. Nothing major. Her physical presence had been requested since she had designed some of the virus killers and the section chief of the Edinburgh office wanted to meet her in person.  
Morrigan harrumphed. He had been a slimy bureaucrat who had no clue of computer engineering, and a lousy conversationalist. Then her flight had been rescheduled, she had spent three hours at the airport in London waiting for the transfer to the connecting flight, which had been late coming in from Frankfurt because of a snow storm, and when she had finally landed in San Francisco she had been awake for more than 24 hours, and she was in no mood to take any crap anymore.  
"Welcome home."  
Morrigan spun around and nearly screamed. It was less out of fright or surprise; it was more the exhaustion and frustration leaking through. The backpack she had raised and was flinging at the 'attacker' was easily deflected by a taloned paw.  
"Anubis!" she exclaimed.  
The ebony-colored Egyptian god smiled, then his smile dropped and he gave her a critical look. "You look... terrible."  
"Thank you!" she snarled, throwing her luggage to the floor and thrusting the backpack into his hands. Morrigan stalked into the kitchen, aiming for the coffee machine. She knew she should sleep, but she didn't feel like it at all. And since she had a guest over as well it wouldn't do to fall asleep right away.  
"Uhm, long flight?" Anubis asked carefully and placed the rather heavy backpack onto a kitchen stool.  
Morrigan snorted and piled coffee into the filter, then shoved the coffee pot under it and pushed the start button. "What are you doing here, Nu?" she then asked, rather unfriendly.  
Anubis had left her place about two months ago, muttering something about needing time alone, needing to get a grip on his life again. He had lived in the guest room for nearly three months, had recovered, had tried to learn more about who he had been before Set had struck him with the Scepter of Forgetting, but he had grown more and more restless. Finally he had left. Strangely enough Morrigan had started to miss her 'room mate', though she should have been glad her life was now taking on a kind of normality again. No more empathic flashes of a life she had no clue about, no more lying to her friends, no more nights without sleep because Anubis had woken with a terrible nightmare that had touched her mind as well. He had managed to get a grip on his dreams, but she knew he was still haunted by the events in the mirror. But all in all he had been a pleasant guest and if he ever got over his fascination with electronics and technical stuff, she might even let him into the computer room again......  
Still, now and then Morrigan got flashes. It was nothing major, just a tickle at the outmost areas of her Other Senses, a strange kind of echo from Anubis' mind, like a reassurance that he was fine and alive. Neither of them had an idea just why she was suddenly so receptive; she never had been before – at least not this long and this intense.  
"The name is Anubis," Anubis now corrected her.  
"Whatever floats your boat. So... reason?"  
"Paying you a friendly visit?"  
Morrigan gave him a dark look. "Nice try."  
Anubis sighed. "Set has returned."  
Morrigan closed her eyes, feeling tired and wide awake in one. "Oh, fun," was all she muttered.

* * *

Presley was having fun in the video arcade, Armon was trying out all the restaurants in the Food Court and the other three Guardians were watching their young protégé. Nefer-tina had grasped the opportunity to try out her skills at one of the racing games and was currently winning against several of the teenagers playing it as well. Rath was studying the game machines, trying to discover the magic behind them and inexpertly trying out the functions. Ja-kal was on guard outside the arcade, keeping Presley in his line of sight, trying not to be too much of a 'mother hen', as the boy had once called him. But it was hard jumping past his own shadow. Ja-kal's duty was to protect prince Rapses, to guard him with his life, and he had done so countless times in the past, and he would again in the future. Relaxing, having fun, 'chilling out', all the terms Presley used to get him to join in held no meaning to him. Guardians had no off-time; their duty was around the clock, being at their prince's disposal, answering his every call. Ja-kal sighed softly.  
Suddenly there was a commotion at the end of the corridor leading to the arcade and Ja-kal turned his head, scanning the crowds. Someone screamed, the scream was echoed by another person, and then panic broke loose.  
"Hey, what's going...ouff!"  
Armon was bowled over by the hysteric people and lost the carry-out bag he had held in his hand. Chinese food splattered all over the floor.  
"Protect the prince!" Ja-kal shouted over the hubbub, trying to get through the throng of fleeing people. He heard a roar, like that of a large, predatory animal, then he was nearly run over by the humans.  
Fighting the panicked people he finally made it to the video arcade, which was eerily empty. The games were flashing their bright colors, the weird noises that accompanied them the only sound.  
"Rapses!" Ja-kal shouted.  
Nefer-tina and Armon appeared next to him. Rath was picking himself up from where the fleeing people had thrown him.  
"Of all the...." he muttered, dusting himself off. "What happened? Where is the prince?"  
Ja-kal's face held an angry and determined expression. "Find Rapses!" he ordered and the Guardians spread out.  
From not too far away came another roar, followed by a howl. Further away the screams of the shoppers could still be heard. No one had remained on this level and Ja-kal guessed that the modern security forces would soon be here. He had to find him!

* * *

Morrigan sat on the couch and watched her visitor stand at the window overlooking the hill sloping down toward the bay. She yawned, exhaustion now finally catching up with her as the adrenaline level dropped. Three mugs of coffee couldn't battle her body's need for rest anymore. Anubis hadn't moved for hours and after she had finished her work report, something she liked doing right after she got home from 'field trips', she had settled onto the couch with a mug of rhubarb tea Danny had given her to try out. Anubis still looked like the last time she had seen him. No big deal; he was a god. He had powers. But what surprised her was the fact that he had chosen to appear in the 'mundane' outfit, not in his Egyptian-style clothes. Sipping at the mug she thought about what to do next. Apparently Set had somehow managed to get out of the Eye of Darkness as well and Anubis had felt it. Whatever Set was up to now, most likely going after young prince Rapses, Anubis was there to stop him – and do whatever else he intended to inflict on the other god. 3600 years of being some kind of laughing stock and slave to Set had piled up and turned into pure anger.  
Morrigan had caught up on Egyptian history throughout the last months, had paid close attention to the news reports and sightings of the paranormal, and had attended the meetings of the Community more regularly, interviewing Gary about what he knew. Gary kept close track of the mummy appearances and he had happily told her everything about it. Together with the images she had had before, the empathic spells from Anubis, she had formed her own picture of the events.  
Suddenly Anubis' ears twitched and a soft growl emerged from his throat. Morrigan set down her mug and watched as the jackal-headed god turned. His pupilless eyes had a familiar glow to them.  
"Got something?" she asked quietly.  
"Yes. I have to go." Anubis phased out of existence in front of her eyes and she sighed.  
"Drop in whenever you are in town," Morrigan muttered, wondering what the purpose of this visit had been in the first place. She yawned again and trudged off to the bedroom. A minute later she was asleep.

* * *

When the panic had started, for whatever reason, Presley had been pulled along with the fleeing shoppers, unable to get out of the crowd. He had finally managed to push through he was quite a way down from the arcade, feeling slightly bruised.  
"What's going on?" he exclaimed. "Guys?"  
Everything around him was deserted. He had heard the howls and roars, but were a few stray dogs reason enough for a fully-fledged panic? Presley shrugged and started to jog back to the arcade when something blocked his way. He looked up a hairy body, clad in Egyptian-style clothes and swallowed. A snarling, dog-like face looked back.  
"Uhm, wrong way," he muttered and darted off into the opposite direction.  
The creature howled and chased after him. Presley's hand closed around the amulet.  
"Guys!" he yelled.

*

Ja-kal stood in the middle of the shopping plaza, breathing hard, eyes alight with anger. Some of the bandages of his upper, right arm were torn, as if some large paw had swiped at him. The other three Guardians were forming a half circle behind him.  
"Ja-kal? Where's Presley?" Nefer-tina asked, already dreading the answer.  
"Set has him," was all Ja-kal answered through clenched teeth.  
"We have to go after him!" Armon exclaimed.  
"No. We need to recharge and prepare for battle," the other Guardian decided. "Set won't harm the prince. He wants us as well."  
Rath's green eyes were dark with foreboding knowledge. "Set managed to free himself of the Eye of Darkness. It must have taken him a lot of power to get out, more than he can possibly have. The only explanation I have is that he tapped into the Eye's power and used it, maybe even retained some as he got out."  
Ja-kal rubbed his arm where one of Set's lackey's had caught him. "I don't care how strong he is; we have to free our prince!"  
Nefer-tina nodded supportively. "I'm with you!"  
"After we have recharged," Ja-kal added. "Let's go back. We need to locate Presley, plan our attack and then sleep."  
The group headed back through the mall to the parking lot. Police cruisers had already appeared and they shed their armor, hiding in one of the bathrooms close to the emergency exit, waiting until the first batch of police officers had gone past to where most of the destruction had occurred. Ten minutes later the mummies were on their way to the Sphinx.

No one saw the black figure, a mere shadow among other shadows, as it sneaked through the destruction everywhere. Anubis' eyes narrowed as he took in the scent of two spirits he knew well, two spirits who had served Set before. He briefly bared his teeth, then disappeared in the darkness.

* * *

Anubis was fuming with anger. He was pacing Morrigan's living room, hands clenched into fists. Darkness seemed to radiate off his black coat like a living creature and the effect was only spoiled by the fact that he still wore rather mundane clothes.  
"I take it things didn't work the way you had planned?" she asked casually. Anubis had returned a few minutes ago, startling her slightly since she had just been waking up again.  
The black humanoid jackal glared at her, then whirled around and drove his fist in – and through – the wall. Morrigan winced. Anubis withdrew his fist from the hole in the brick wall.  
"And I just had everything repaired," she muttered. "How am I going to explain this to Howard?"  
"Set got to Rapses!" Anubis finally snarled. "I was too late." His long ears flattened to his head and the artificial light of the halogen lamps reflected off his long canines.  
"He kidnapped the boy?"  
"Yes."  
"What about his Guardians?" Morrigan asked. "I thought he had bodyguards who kept an eye on him all the time."  
"They failed," was the growled answer.  
"Ah."  
Anubis breathed heavily, eyes aglow. This was clearly upsetting him, though it was probably less the fact that young Rapses had been kidnapped but  who the kidnapper was. Morrigan still hadn't worked him out. On one side Anubis was one of the good guys, a benevolent god, and as such he was entitled to being angry about a kidnapping done by a darker god. Especially when it came to Rapses. Then again, why was he involving himself so much in mundane, human matters? He should be happily at home beyond the Western Gate, regain his powers, be who he had always been.  
Morrigan shook her head. "So what do you plan on doing now?"  
"Kick his hide across the Western Gate!" was the hissed answer.  
"Ah," was all she said again. "Revenge."  
"Yes, revenge." His eyes narrowed on her critical frown. "Anything wrong with that?"  
"No, not really. I'm just wondering why you are going through so much trouble. Rapses has four Guardians and it's their job to fight Set and free their prince. You can wipe the floor with Set afterwards." She shrugged. "Would be a lot easier."  
"Set is too powerful right now," Anubis told her. "He has retained powers from the Eye of Darkness. I felt it. They won't succeed in freeing him on their own."  
"Ah, but may I point out that when you pop up at this particular party you will be shot on sight by the Guardians? Those you want to help.....?"  
"I'm not planning on working with them."  
Morrigan's frown deepened. "I thought that was the very idea."  
Anubis shook his head. "I have no interest in Rapses. All I want is Set."  
She raised her hand and he stopped, giving her an annoyed look. "Team work is much better than the maverick routine," the woman pointed out.  
"Team work would get me four Guardians blasting away at me, Morrigan. It's out of the question to work with them."  
"Well, it was just a thought," she muttered. She rubbed her chin. "Nu? What makes you think you can defeat Set if he has these powers?"  
He gave a wry look. "I can try."  
"Oh, very good plan." Morrigan rolled her eyes heavenwards.  
"He has locked the prince away in an abandoned warehouse," Anubis went on, pacing again. Morrigan watched him silently, wondering if he would add a ditch in the carpet to the hole in the wall. "He doesn't know I'm back from the Eye and he has no idea that I am free of his control or that I'm planning to fight him." He stopped. "That's why I need help."  
"Ohhhh, no!" Morrigan said immediately, shaking her head. "No, no, and no again. I'm not volunteering. Don't even think about it! Ask the mummies, but count me out!"  
The jackal-headed immortal walked over to her. "It's not dangerous."  
Morrigan's brows drew a steep line and her mouth curled into a cynical smile. "Aha."  
Anubis spread his hands. "All I need is your help distracting Set so he won't see me coming."  
The frown and smile stayed; arms crossed in front of her chest were added. "Ah. I thought you weren't into the team work stuff?"  
"Set has set up a barrier around his stronghold and it will detect every drop of magic; and every aura. He would see me the moment I entered."  
Morrigan tapped her foot now. "So?"  
Anubis sighed and walked up to her, looking down at the smaller human, then held out one hand. In his palm lay pendant. It was shaped in the form of a tear drop, gold encasing a dark blue gem. There were hieroglyphs etched into the gold.  
"What's that?" Morrigan asked, not about to be lured into this by some kind of jewelry. She didn't want to play hero.  
"Protection."  
She picked the pendant up between thumb and forefinger, giving it a closer inspection. "What am I supposed to do? Hit him over the head with it?"  
Anubis smiled slightly. "No. It states that you are under my protection and it also will be a way of entry for me. Your powers as a Shield will mask my aura. You would be invisible to Set too, but since you create an area of non-magic, he'll find you."  
"Oh, great," she muttered, sounding not at all amused.  
"So you will help me?"  
Morrigan rolled her eyes. "Do I look so stupid?"  
"Do you want an answer?"  
"Oh, shut up! Why should I help you? I'm not suicidal!"  
"I never said so."  
Morrigan shot the Egyptian god a dark look. "Why me?" she then asked.  
Anubis shrugged. "I didn't have many choices. None of the other gods would help, even if I asked and I won't, and you are the only human I know who would help me. And your powers are unique."  
"Think again," she growled.  
"Morrigan, please."  
She rolled her eyes at the puppy-dog expression. "Oh, stop this! I'm not susceptible to..." Anubis whined. Morrigan buried her face in one hand. "You are supposed to be a powerful Egyptian deity!" she reminded him. "Behave like one, Nu!"  
"Only if you stop calling me Nu. And I really need your help. As a mortal you should consider yourself privileged and honored." Morrigan gave him a narrow-eyed look and Anubis raised his hands as if to ward her off. "Okay, okay, but I really do need help with it, Morrigan. Please?"  
She sighed deeply. "All I have to do is....?" she finally asked.  
"Distract Set. He will most assuredly pick up your presence – or non-presence -- but he won't harm you, Morrigan. Leave the rest to me."  
Morrigan chewed on her lower lip, studying the jackal-headed being before her. Anubis looked expectantly at her, a hopeful expression on his features. A few hours of sleep and a croissant didn't really suffice when faced with this decision, but something inside her gave her a kick. Anubis needed her help and she considered him a friend. Friends helped one another, though fighting alongside a god against another of his kind was not exactly what the manual of friendships dealt with.  
"If I so much as break a nail because of your 'friend', I'll use you to scrub the floor!" she finally growled.  
Anubis smiled in relief. "Nothing will happen. I promise. And thank you."  
Morrigan just muttered something under her breath.

* * *

Four armor-clad figures crouched outside the abandoned warehouse building.  
"How long do we have to wait until we finally get our prince out of there!" Nefer-tina exclaimed.  
The building they were observing was located along the docks in the old harbor area. Similar warehouses were all around them, old, sturdy brick buildings with giant entry doors, three or four stories high. There was no traffic around here, except when a company was removing stock from a warehouse they owned or had rented, but since no ships came here - the new harbor offering a wider range of machines and better access - it was a quiet area.  
"The lion observes his prey before he strikes," Ja-kal lectured.  
"I'm not a lion," Nefer-tina muttered.  
"We have to be prepared for traps," Ja-kal added with a frown at the female Guardian. Nefer-tina simply ignored him. "We go in now."  
Rath nodded and the mummies slipped off into the darkness. They slowly closing in on the main entrance doors. To their surprise and suspicion the doors were open. Nefer-tina shot her friends a look.  
"Be careful," Ja-kal mouthed.  
Then they went inside.

* * *

"Stupid idea. Absolutely stupid idea! Whatever made me agree to this?"  
The low, constant cursing and muttering floated through the silent, dark tunnel. Morrigan O'Connor stood on a narrow metal catwalk, looking down at the sluggishly moving sewage about two feet below. It stank! Using her high-powered torchlight she carefully moved across the River of Stink and then continued down a moldy, dim and very much garbage-ridden tunnel to where she was supposed to get out.  
"I'm gonna strangle him for this. I'm gonna rip every single hair off his body," she growled. "Volunteered. Hah! Sneaky bastard! Never trust a jackal! Never trust a god!"  
Here and there she circumvented unidentifiable things lying on the ground, washed through the sewer by the latest rainstorm, half-rotten and very much disgusting. She didn't even want to know what she had stepped in already.  
"I'm a computer engineer, not Indiana Jones! I don't usually climb around dark tunnels in search of kidnapped boys! I'll disembowel him!" she swore. "I'll cut off more than his claws this time! The sewer! He never ever mentioned the sewer system!"  
Morrigan knew she had an important job to do: help freeing prince Rapses, but didn't the boy have Guardians to keep him out of trouble? No, she had to come and play decoy so they could rescue him. Well, supposedly rescue him. Morrigan had no idea what to do, other than get out of this stinking mess of decaying materials and into fresh air. Anubis had mentioned playing decoy and that it might be dangerous, but he hadn't lost a syllable about how exactly she was supposed to distract Set. Morrigan sighed. Distract an Egyptian god who could swipe her with a single strike.  
"I must be out of my mind!" she growled under her breath. "If I get out of this in one piece I'm gonna use him as a throw rug!"  
She finally reached the spot where an old, slightly rusty ladder led up to the sewer cover. Morrigan thanked her intuition for bringing a pair of gloves along. She climbed up and lifted the cover carefully, peeking into the room. It was dark, it was dusty and it smelled slightly better than the sewer; that was her first impression. She managed, with a lot of low cursing, to shove the cover aside and then pulled herself out of the manhole.

* * *

"You'll pay for this when my friends get here!" Presley faced the much larger creature with defiance written clearly on his face.  
Set smiled darkly. "Oh, I hope they get here. I'm planning on entertaining myself before I deliver you to the underworld. Your four Guardians will be a nice gift along the way."  
Presley fumed, rattling the bars of his prison. It was a futile gesture. The cage was solidly constructed. "You won't get them that easily!" he promised.  
"I was counting on some resistance." Set inspected his claws, polishing the long talons. "I have waited for this moment a long, long time, ever since you defeated me the first time, young prince. The time in the mirror gave me a lot to think about, plan my revenge on you and your Guardians." Set lowered his head and gave Presley a dark smile. "They will die before your eyes, and you will follow them."  
Presley shivered and moved back. Set was dead-serious, he knew, and it was as if he could feel the strength and power radiate off the dog spirit. "Guys.... it would be a good moment to come and bail me out," he muttered, hand clenched around the amulet. "But be careful."  
Suddenly the Underworld god turned, lips curling into a grin. "They are here!" he announced.  
Presley felt very cold all of a sudden.

Set was aware of the mummies the moment their magical armor touched his security field. He smiled evilly, turning to his two helpers.  
"Attack," he ordered.  
The dog spirits moved out noiselessly

* * *

The first wave of the attack came swiftly. Two demons they had encountered only once before charged and Rath raised his sword, deflecting blows and shots. Nefer-tina's whip cracked several times while Ja-kal shot his flaming arrows at the wolf-headed attacker coming for them.  
"Rath, Nefer-tina, go search for the prince!" Ja-kal ordered. "Armon and I will deal with those two!"  
Rath nodded and Nefer-tina was already performing a flawless flic-flac over one of their attackers. "Let's go, Rath!" she called.  
The scribe followed swiftly. As they ran into the next room, a gigantic, almost empty hall, he became aware of two things immediately: an incredible amount of raw power permeating everything and Set standing like a statue in the middle of the room. The evil grin on his face and the softly glowing scepter spoke volumes.  
"Nefer-tina....." Rath started, but the other Guardian didn't stop.  
"Let our prince go!" she demanded, already raising her whip.  
"Or what?" Set taunted.  
"Or I'll show you the sting of Nefer-tina's whip. Hiiii-ya!"  
The whip lashed toward Set, but he only raised the scepter and Nefer-tina was thrown into a few boxes that lay scattered around the room. She coughed, rubbing her middle. Rath's grip on his sword tightened.  
"Give up, Set. You have no chance against us."  
"Correction, Guardian. You have no chance against me!" Set called cheerfully and let lose another blast.  
Rath deflected it, the power of this one shot reverberating through him. Set advanced on him and the scribe was hard pressed to deflect every blast, his arms starting to hurt from the strain. This was impossible! Set couldn't be so strong! They had fought him before, they had won before, so what had changed in the meantime!?  
A flaming arrow struck the large dog demon and Set gave a snarl of annoyance. "Ja-kal!" he growled. "How nice of you to drop in!"  
Ja-kal had no time to react as the fiery blast came at him, enveloping his body. He felt the magical field that enabled him to fly waver, then he fell, slamming into the ground. Set chuckled briefly, then turned to the other Guardians.  
"Who's next? How about everyone?"  
Small magical storms twisted out of the very ground and fused into one gigantic whirlpool, roaring in the confines of the abandoned warehouse, sucking everything that wasn't nailed down into the gigantic maw. Rath buried his sword in the cement floor, holding on to his anchor, feeling the incredible suction tearing at his body. Armon gave a cry of surprise as he was lifted off the ground and Nefer-tina battled to secure him to her with the whip. The twister came closer and Rath's mind raced. How could he counter-act this magic?! And then he was enveloped by the raw power, flung across the room with the others, landing hard against old steel bars and containers.  
Rath blinked several times to chase away the colorful lights dancing in front of his eyes. He was breathing heavily, everything hurt, and he was dangerously low on power. Grabbing his sword he used it to get himself to his feet, though his stand was shaky at best. Ja-kal was already on his feet again, determination written on his pale features.  
"Nefer-tina, Armon, keep him busy!" he ordered.  
"I think he is keeping us busy," Armon muttered. "Ow, my head!"  
Nefer-tina's face showed the same determination as Ja-kal's as she advanced on Set. "Time to stop playing around!" she announced. "It's time this cat showed you what bad dogs get!"  
Set only bestowed an amused look on her as she charged, claws flashing, whip ready. "Puny Guardian!" he rumbled and struck her.  
Ja-kal was dashing for the cage holding the young prince. He didn't get far. The dog spirit threw the two other Guardians aside with one swipe and pointed his scepter at Ja-kal. Rath opened his mouth to warn his leader as the purple crystal glowed brightly with the power to be unleashed in a second, but it was too late. Ja-kal was flung forward with a cry, the back of his armor steaming with the blast he had received, the gold blackened by the primeval force. Rath gasped. Set turned and grinned maliciously as he discovered Armon coming at him, ready to strike.  
"When did he grow so powerful?" Rath wondered softly, clenching his teeth as his ribs protested every movement. "He can't have taken this much energy with him from the Eye! It's impossible!"  
But apparently it wasn't. Set might be running out of his powers sooner or later, but right now....  
"You can't win!" Set proclaimed and threw Armon into a wall.  
"Retreat and regroup!" Rath heard Ja-kal order as he staggered to his feet.  
"Leaving already?" Set mocked and blasted Ja-kal again before he had any time to react. He then grabbed the half-unconscious Guardian by his neck armor and hurled him into the wall. Ja-kal didn't move any more.  
"No!" Nefer-tina screamed. "Ja-kal!"  
Set laughed and pointed his staff at them.  
"Retreat!" Rath yelled, running as well. He knew they had to develop a new attack strategy. Set was way too powerful!  
"But, Rath!" Armon protested, staggering out of the way of a new blast, raising his golden arm to deflect it.  
"I said, we retreat!"  
And they followed his order, though reluctantly. Set's evil, triumphant laughter followed them as they ran for a place to recover.

* * *

Morrigan prowled around the dark warehouse, encountering rows of old boxes and a lot of debris and garbage. Old conveyer belts stood inside the cavernous room and gathering dust, the smell of grease and oil hanging in the air, mixed with decay. One wall was hidden behind stacks of crates.  
"Okay, here I am," she muttered. "What now?"  
Low, deep thunder from further down the hall made her flinch. It was followed by an explosion and screams of pain. Morrigan froze, swallowing.  
"I'm protected," she whispered. "He told me I'm protected." She glanced at the amulet. "I'm too far gone to be just insane now," she added cynically. "Protected by an amulet! Hah!"  
Squaring her shoulders Morrigan started off down the warehouse, in her mind dismembering a certain jackal-headed god and frying him slowly. She was a Shield, okay, but it didn't mean she was invincible! And she had no idea how her powers worked anyway. She had to find the four Guardians of Rapses. Anubis had said they would be here and they were probably fighting Set right now.  
"Hope he hasn't dismembered them by now," she mumbled darkly.

* * *

Anubis stood outside the warehouse, stretching all his senses, taking in the little traps Set had sat up to detect a paranormal presence coming closer. The mummies were paranormal in a way, brought back to life through magic and their eternal vow to protect prince Rapses wherever and whenever. Anubis could see the shimmering field surrounding the warehouse, though it didn't reach under the first floor, leaving the basement open. Still, it wasn't a way to get in for him either because the moment he touched the magical field it would scream in alarm and Set would know. No, he had to wait for Morrigan to be close to the other dog spirit. Through the crystal in the amulet he would be able to enter.  
The Egyptian god stretched his senses a bit further and picked up the disgruntled appearing aura that was Morrigan O'Connor. He had to smile as her emotions washed over him. As frightening and strange it still was to be so receptive to a human's empathic state of mind, it was tremendously helpful right now. He could track her progress as far as the shields let him.  
And then energies he knew only too well exploded inside the warehouse. Set had encountered the Guardians......

* * *

Rath stared at the woman. She was dressed in smudged, dark clothes, hands covered by gloves, hair bound back into a tight tail. She looked at them with a mixture of relief and worry.  
"Who are you?" Rath asked sharply in return. "How did you get in here?" His eyes fell on the amulet around her neck and he gasped. "And where did you get that amulet from?" he demanded.  
"And hello to you too," was the answer and an angry frown crossed the woman's features. "You must be the mummies, right?"  
"What gave it away?" Nefer-tina muttered.  
"Listen, I'm here to help you, well, kinda. I'm not sure how, but ...." She shrugged, smiling.  
"Who are you?" Rath repeated. Set and the danger they were in forgotten for a moment. "And who gave you this amulet?"  
"Okay, first: I'm Morrigan O'Connor. Second, the amulet was given to me by a friend."  
"What is it, Rath?" Nefer-tina wanted to know. She had noticed the expression on his face.  
"It's an amulet of Anubis," Rath said levelly. "It identifies the bearer as being protected by the god."  
"She is protected by Anubis?!" Nefer-tina exclaimed. "Well, I could think of better guardians than this mutt."  
Morrigan shrugged again as Rath cast her look. "Hey, I didn't ask for it."  
"He is her patron god?" Armon wanted to know, looking at Morrigan and adding, "Are you a Guardian?"  
"Uhm, no, actually I'm a computer engineer," Morrigan answered. At the puzzled look they cast her, she sighed. "Never mind. And no, Anubis is not my patron god."  
"Who gave the amulet to you?"  
"A friend," was all she answered. "Listen, I haven't come to explain myself. I'm here to help."  
Rath sniffed. "You? Help us? How?"  
"Errr... I'm here to distract Set."  
"Distract him? How?" Armon wanted to know.  
A roar could be heard from not too far away and the two men and two women winced.  
"Ah, well, that is still a mystery to me," Morrigan muttered, looking a bit pale. "Geez, I must have been braindead when I agreed!" Then she straightened her shoulders. "Okay, where is he?"  
Rath was perplexed. He could see that this woman was unwilling to continue to wherever she was going, but something about her radiated determination. And then there was the pendant. He hadn't seen it since his days as a scribe in the palace of Amenhotep and even then it had been nothing but a picture on a scroll. The amulet was rumored to be a portal for the jackal-headed god and its bearer was not only protected by his powers but also personally chosen by the god to serve him.  
"You are here to fight Set?" Armon asked with disbelief most prominent in his voice.  
"Yeah, well, not really *fight*. More like... I don't know." Morrigan chewed her lower lip. "A decoy, a distraction, whatever you want to call it. You get your prince out, I'll keep Set off your backs."  
"What?" all three chorused.  
"Okay, for the completely deaf," Morrigan said, sounding slightly strained. "You – hide and wait. I – go in there. I'll keep Set busy, you sneak in and get your pharaoh. Capice?"  
She briefly touched the amulet and Rath thought he saw it glint. Then she walked past them.  
"Hey, wait!" Armon called. He turned to Rath. "What is she doing?"  
Rath shook his head, stunned. She was no reborn ancient soul, so much he could feel, and she held no magic he could detect, so who was she and why was she wearing an amulet of Anubis? And what was this about being a distraction?  
"We can't let her do this alone!" Nefer-tina called.  
Rath stopped her, holding up his hand. "We have to rescue the prince," he decided. "Spread out and prepare for attack."  
"But....." she gestured at the woman, who was now closing in on the room where Set held not only Rapses but also Ja-kal.  
Rath sighed, ignoring all the stings of pain from his left side. "We are the Guardians of prince Rapses. We have a duty to fulfill." With that he moved off into the twilight to be ready for the attack.

*

Morrigan felt like all her hair was standing on end and she knew she was completely out of place. She was no hero and she had no super-powers. All she had was some kind of old relic hanging around her neck, an Egyptian god trying to sneak past Set's paranormal security system and four, well, three, mummies who might or might not be able to fight Set. From their battered appearance they had already encountered the dog spirit and had not come away with flying colors.  
"I must be insane," she muttered.  
Suddenly here was a low rumble and then half of the wall in front of her caved in.  
"Who challenges me?" Set roared.  
Morrigan froze, her eyes went wide and she paled dramatically. Her gaze traveled up the muscular, bulky body, covered in brown fur, taking in the taloned hands, the raw muscle power under the hide, and came to rest on the canines sticking out from his lower jaw. Set was taller than Anubis and much more vicious looking.  
"Bad idea, really bad idea," she breathed. "Oh, he's gonna be very sorry if I get out of this alive. Slightly dangerous, hah!"  
Set's head swiveled and his dark gaze came to rest on the slender woman. "A human?" He bellowed. "A woman even! You dare to challenge me?!"  
"Wish I knew," Morrigan sighed. "You are Set, right?" she then asked out loud.  
"Yes. I am Set, God of the Underworld, Ruler of all!" he proclaimed.  
"How nice."  
"Who are you, mortal?"  
"The name's Morrigan O'Connor. Can't say I'm pleased to meet you."  
"You dare to challenge a god?" Set roared.  
"It wasn't exactly a challenge....." He lowered his head and Morrigan tried not to flinch back. "I was only asked to come here to deliver something to you."  
Set's heavy brows drew into a dark frown. He didn't detect the three mummy Guardians sneaking into the room and moving in on where Rapses was locked in a cage, now hanging onto the bars and trying to get a good look at what was going on. Ja-kal had been secured to the wall and he appeared unconscious.  
"Deliver?" he asked. Then his eyes narrowed on the amulet. "Where did you get this from?" His large paw closed around the blue stone, but a sudden sizzle made him yelp and let go. Smoke curled off his fur. "Who gave it to you?!"  
"Geez, a lot of people have asked me that lately."  
"I warn you, human! Don't make me angry!"  
"It's O'Connor. Ms O'Connor to you!"  
"You are a child of Anubis?" Set demanded.  
"Child? I can't say there is any resemblance," Morrigan muttered.  
Armon had reached Ja-kal while Rath was fiddling with the lock holding Presley. It opened with a soft click, but it was loud enough to alert Set who had looked about ready to strike Morrigan. The dog spirit whirled around and snarled.  
"A trick!" he growled. "But you can't win, Guardians!"  
Morrigan went for cover as he blasted away at the mummies. Shrapnel of exploding wall washed over her, stinging her face. She cursed and closed her hand around the amulet.  
"Now would be a *very* good time to pop up and save the day!" she hissed under her breath.  
Armon had managed to free Ja-kal, but the hawk guardian was unable to stand on his own two feet and collapsed into his friend's arms. Rath had grabbed the boy and was shielding him from the brunt of the blast.  
"Hiiii-ya!"  
There was the crack of a whip and Set gave a roar of annoyance as Nefer-tina's whip left a stringing trail in his fur. He grabbed the whip's end as she tried to hit him again and flung her into the empty cage. Dazed, the Guardian tried to rise.  
And then Morrigan felt it. It was so familiar but also different than before. Something washed over her, seeming to concentrate around the amulet. She rose without even wanting to, her body covered in bluish flames. A whoosh of energy exploded out of the amulet, hitting the ground. A tongue of cold, blue flames shot from the cemented floor. The flames coalesced into a new form......

"Anubis!" Set called out, a wide, evil smile on his face as he recognized the visitor. "You have come just in time!"  
Ja-kal tried to get to his feet, but he was too weak and he knew the power of his amulet was running out. Armon lay against the wall, just now coming around. He had no idea where the others were and he didn't know what had happened to the prince.  
"I see you managed to free yourself of the Eye of Darkness," Anubis said, sounding calm. "Too bad. You should have stayed inside. It's saver – compared to where you are right now."  
Set frowned slightly as if he wasn't sure who he was facing all of a sudden. "Stop prattling and help me! The mummies are at our mercy! We can finally take revenge on this cursed boy."  
"You have grown stronger," Anubis stated, still not moving from where he stood. His hands hung loosely at his side, fingers spread slightly.  
Set's smile widened even more. "Thanks to the Eye of Darkness. I managed to draw some of its power with me as I escaped. It won't last long, but for my revenge it will be enough! Now join me in ridding the world of these dead corpses forever!"  
A strange expression floated over Anubis' features. "No."  
"What did you say?" Set demanded.  
"I said no. I'm not helping you. Actually, I have come to stop you."  
Rath, who was slowly picking himself up, blinked and stared at the jackal-headed god. Not only was he dressed a lot differently from what he remembered seeing him in the last time, he also appeared... stronger? More powerful? Intriguing. Presley got to his feet as well, appearing unharmed, and he seemed just as puzzled as Rath.  
"Did he say he wanted to help?"  
"I...." Rath was at a loss.  
"Stop me?" Set echoed, sounding amused. "You? Don't make me laugh! You are a puny dog spirit!"  
"Maybe I was, because you made me into this cowardly creature, but I have to inform you that things changed." Anubis raised his arms, hands as fists, so they were in front of his chest, then slammed the outsides of his fists together. There was a flash of blue light and the jackal-headed god stood in his Egyptian garb.  
"No," Set growled. "This can't be!"  
"It can. It happened. I finally freed myself of your control!" Anubis told him levelly.  
"I will kill you," Set hissed. "I will scatter your very last molecule over the seven plains!"  
He raised his hands and the energy appeared again. A lightning bolt sped at Anubis, who didn't move. Suddenly he raised a hand, deflecting the bolt.  
"You deluded yourself concerning the power of the Eye of Darkness, Set," Anubis said coolly, the expression on his face a far cry from friendly. "It's nothing but a fleeting image of the real thing, and you have expended too much on trying to destroy the Guardians already. This weak display of energy can't harm me."  
Set bristled and his eyes glowed red. "Weak?" he raged. "I will utterly destroy you, Anubis! I will take your powers and your scepter and I will rule!"  
And then all hell exploded.

Rath shielded his eyes as the magical energies exploded. Every molecule of his body felt the power displayed here. This wasn't some kind of light show; it was pure magic. Set howled in pain and was suddenly thrown into the wall, crashing through it and lying limp among the rubble, but the magic he had set free when fighting off Anubis' attack was still alive and it raged through the room. Armon scrambled to his feet, jumping for cover, pulling Nefer-tina with him. Ja-kal was blown off his feet and landed at Rath's side, breathing hard, Presley held protectively close to him. The boy seemed a little stunned. Rath saw cracks all over Ja-kal's armor and he knew his friend and leader was on the last drops of his amulet's energy. As if to prove him right, the amulet beeped constantly, flashing a warning. Ja-kal touched the blue triangle on his chest, then the armor faded out of existence, its power depleted, leaving him vulnerable and without protection.  
"What is going on?" the leader of the mummies wheezed weakly.  
"I don't know, Ja-kal," Rath answered. "It seems we are in the middle of a godly dispute right now."  
"Anubis and Set?" Presley asked. "What are they fighting over? Their chew toy?"  
A loud explosion left them half-deafened, their ears ringing with the after-effects.  
"Didn't he say something about control?" Nefer-tina asked loudly.  
"I heard that too," Armon rumbled.  
"Yes, and that he is free now." Rath frowned. Then he saw a lithe, slender form effortlessly jump over the steel bars they were hiding behind, landing in a crouch. Anubis' black form seemed suddenly very much threatening, his thin body harboring a power Rath had never seen him display before. The white eyes glowed from inside, their light reflecting off the gold around them. The ebony jackal had his teeth bared in a snarl, white canines gleaming.  
"Get him out of here!" he growled. "This won't keep Set down for very long! He's still too strong!"  
Rath swallowed hard. This was definitely not the dumb mutt they all remembered from previous encounters. Before he had only smiled at the 'mastery' Anubis had displayed when it came to magic. The god was strong, granted, stronger than Rath any time, but he had had one disadvantage. He was too easily distracted, too slow sometimes, though still an opponent to take seriously when it came to magical strength. But now....  
As if to add to Anubis' words there was a howl from across the room. "Anubis!"  
Anubis turned his head, a dark, evil smile on his features. "Ah, the big guy's calling. Can't let him wait." He fixed his white gaze on the Guardians again. "Get Rapses out of here. Now!"  
"What about Set?" Ja-kal asked as he tried to get to his feet. He was holding his ribs and his face was lined with pain. The bandages on his back were singed and lay in tatters, held together by the last ounces of magical energy that permeated this area on his body.  
"Set is my problem," Anubis growled darkly.  
"But...."  
Morrigan crawled over to the group's hiding place, an annoyed expression on her face. There was blood on her face, coming from two long cuts along her cheek where splinters had grazed her.  
"I don't want to crash the party, guys, but how about we let Nu here duke it out with Set and just leave?" She raised an eyebrow. "I, for one, would like to survive this!"  
Anubis directed a smile at her. "Go," was all he said, then he left swiftly and silently.  
The four Guardians gaped after their former enemy, disbelief in their faces. A roar from Set made them flinch and Ja-kal straightened, face lined deeply with pain. "Let's go!" he ordered hoarsely. "Armon, get the prince to the Hot-Ra! Rath, cover our backs! Nefer-tina, the car!"  
"Gotcha!" Nefer-tina dashed for the exit, ignoring the pandemonium behind her, and the others followed.  
Rath cast a last look at the battle, seeing Set and Anubis locked in a vicious struggle, both bearing wounds of the encounter, both unwilling to give in to the other. It was a dog fight, pure and simple, and it was very single-minded in purpose: destroy the other. The scribe whirled around and followed his friends, helping Ja-kal along the way as their leader stumbled and nearly fell. Ja-kal weakly warded him off, then surrendered, unable to do much more than let himself be dragged to safety. He was fading fast and needed to rest in the sarcophagus.

"You can't win, Set," Anubis said coldly, watching his opponent as Set gasped for air. "You are delusional. I'm no longer the weak and cowardly creature you made me into. I have regained my strength and I know who I am. And I was within the Eye as well; I know its powers."  
He wasn't feeling a hundred percent strong anymore either, deep gashes along his arms and ribs showing where Set had managed to land punches, but Set looked the same. As for the Eye, yes, he had been inside and he knew its powers, but it had taken everything he had had at the time to get out in more or less one piece. Set had only a small fraction of the Eye's powers, but even this fraction was very dangerous,  
"You will be the crowning of my revenge," Set called, breathing hard.  
Anubis smiled humorlessly. "You defeated me in the past because you used the Scepter of Forgetting on me. You never dared to challenge me directly before because you knew what it would get you. I haven't lost my powers, only forgotten them for a long, long time."  
Set brandished his scepter. "I have the power of the Eye of Darkness, the mightiest weapon of all. You have nothing!"  
Anubis didn't twitch a muscle. "You'd be surprised," he said in a near whisper.  
Set laughed -- mockingly, loudly. Then he pointed the scepter at his enemy and an energy bolt lashed toward the jackal-headed god. Anubis jumped, performing a flawless somersault and landing gracefully several feet ahead in a crouch. His ears flattened to his head, teeth bared.  
"Is that all you can do?" he asked as he straightened.  
Set seethed with anger. "You haven't even begun to taste my power, Anubis!" he hissed between gritted teeth.  
Bolt after bolt of deadly energy shot at Anubis, but he dodged, deflected or evaded every single one of them. Two came very close and one singed his shoulder, but otherwise Set was not able to land a hit on him directly.  
"Like I told you before," Anubis said, panting now. "You cannot win."  
Set screamed with rage, lifting both hands and summoning all his remaining powers. "Die!" he demanded and then unleashed the energy. It crackled through the room, scorching the floor and walls it touched, obliterating the boxes stacked against one wall, and blackening the stone.  
In the center of the energy storm stood Anubis, a dark, sinister figure, his eyes aglow in the blackness. His lips drew back over his canines and then he called a scepter. It looked very much like the Scepter of Forgetting, but it had a longer staff and the crystal on top was translucent. He concentrated, knowing he had only this one shot and if it didn't work, he'd be flat as a pancake against the wall behind him. He rammed the staff into the ground, channeling what powers he had into it, draining his body of every single droplet, breaking the storm around him. Some of the waves of energy flooded back to where Set stood, hitting him instead, but most were sucked into the staff.  
"My turn," Anubis whispered, though his voice echoed through the room as if he had spoken out loud. The crystal on top of his staff glowed eerily, charged with his powers, as well as the absorbed magic of the Eye of Darkness.  
Set gave a yelp of surprise and suddenly his eyes went wide. Realization hit him. "Uhm, Anubis, listen...." he started.  
Anubis' white eyes locked with his. "Good-bye," was all he said, then released the magical power within the crystal.

Outside, the four Guardians, Presley and Morrigan heard a deafening boom, followed by an explosion of light. It washed over them, throwing them to the ground, then there was a howl of pain and denial. Part of the roof was blasted off, then the rest caved in on the room, collapsing into the energy storm abrading everything in the room, being obliterated. Ja-kal, supported by Rath because he was unable to stand on his own, stared at the display with wide eyes. Rath's mouth hung open, his senses feeling an overload of magic, one unleashed by raw, deep anger, an anger so intense that it overrode ever safety spell magicians and even sorcerers used, at least the sane ones, that they wouldn't be dragged into the whirlpool of power. Morrigan had a slightly dazed expression on her face, then touched the amulet around her neck, staring in awe at the spectacle before her. She whispered something under her breath.  
Just as quickly as it had exploded into existence the inferno died down again. Silence settled over them, only broken by the popping noises of cooling metal and stone.  
"Wow!" Presley breathed.  
The four Guardians, all looking very much singed, beaten and exhausted, could only agree.  
"Why did he help us?" he boy asked.  
"I don't know, my prince," Rath muttered, just as perplexed. Anubis had always been their enemy, helping Set in trying to capture the spirit of prince Rapses. He had last seen the two when the Eye of Darkness had nearly opened. After that..... He turned to the woman with the amulet. "Maybe you would be kind enough to explain now?"  
Morrigan's eyes were still fixed on the now ruined building. "Redemption," was all she said.  
Before any of the others could ask, a figure materialized out of the dust billowing around the ruin. The mummies moved protectively in front of their prince, ready to fight the jackal-headed god if he attacked, but Morrigan was first. Her eyes were lit up with anger as she closed in on Anubis who was no longer dressed in his Egyptian clothes.  
"You owe me, Nu!" she told him, voice laced with rage, tapping her finger against his chest. "Big time! And it's nothing a simple dinner can make up tome! Not dangerous, you said! Protection, you told me! Hah! Do you see this?" She pointed at the two scratches on her cheek. "This is the last time I'll do you a favor, god or no god!"  
"This was the first favor I asked of you," Anubis answered, his tone of voice slightly bemused, brushing some dust off his black coat. They could see blood-crusted gashes and cuts all over his body, one running very close by his right eye. Blood matted his fur and some areas had a decidedly singed look.  
"And it will be the last!" Morrigan glowered at him. "What happened to Set?"  
"He's gone."  
"For good?"  
"For now."  
"Oh, great." She didn't sound enthused.  
Anubis looked at the group of mummies, a neutral expression on his face. Rath tried to read anything in those white eyes, but he couldn't tell what was going on. This was new to him. Anubis.... on their side? The god, now dressed in normal street clothes, though they looked slightly smudged and singed, didn't seem to prepare an attack, but former experiences with him made them all wary.  
"What do you want?" Ja-kal now demanded.  
Anubis remained where he was, showing no sign of animosity towards them, and come to think of it, he appeared different. Not only was he dressed in the clothes of the modern world, he also seemed to radiate more confidence and strength. And, Rath thought, deeply intrigued, he had defeated Set who had been armed with a formidable fraction of the powers of the Eye of Darkness. So he hadn't misread the first whiff he had gotten of this aura when Anubis had told them to go. He was different!  
"I don't want to fight you," Anubis now said calmly. His voice had changed as well. The whine was gone. He sounded more controlled, calmer, almost serene.  
"What do you want?" Ja-kal repeated, not about to be lured into a trap because he let his guard down. Maybe this had been a ploy of Set, give them a feeling of safety and then strike once again.  
Anubis' white eyes fixed on Presley. "I have come because of the past, of what I did, to all of you and especially to prince Rapses."  
The four Guardians exchanged puzzled looks.  
"I can never undo what I did with words, prince Rapses," Anubis now addressed Presley. "I can only ask for your forgiveness for my failures." He bowed his head once; not in a gesture of submission, more like one of respect between equals.  
"Uhm," Presley stuttered, totally baffled.  
"What in Ra's name is going on here?" Nefer-tina hissed. "Is this the guy we know or does Anubis now have a twin?"  
Rath shrugged, just as confused.  
"What trick is this?" Ja-kal demanded.  
"No trick, Guardian. Something.... happened and I realized my mistakes." Anubis spread his hands. "I cannot expect you to trust me, but I will do whatever is in my powers to undo the evil I have done while under Set's control."  
At the word 'control', Rath frowned slightly and Ja-kal made a mental note to ask his friend about it. Anubis had used it before when challenging Set. What had gone on between those two?  
"Set is gone for now. He will no longer be a danger to you, prince," Anubis continued. "And neither will I."  
"Yes, because I'm going to skin you alive the moment we are out of here," Morrigan muttered under her breath.  
Anubis cast her an amused look and his lips curled into a smile. "I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," he muttered back.  
It got him a glare, lightning bolts lancing from Morrigan's eyes. His smile widened, much to the heightened confusion of the Guardians, then he raised his arms, slamming his fists together in front of his chest. He and the woman disappeared.  
"Talk about major weird!"" Presley exclaimed. "He's a good guy now?"  
Rath rubbed his chin. "I don't know," he answered slowly.

* * *

Morrigan woke slowly, her mind a woozy mess, her body aching in all the wrong places. She was a computer engineer; she spent most of her time in front of the computer. She rarely went for exercises, and pacing around and thinking about a particularly nasty engineering problem was about as much aerobics as she usually did. Now and then climbing around the Mystique Shoppe and helping Danny relocate items added to that, but not more. Now her head hurt abominably and she felt all those light abrasions from evading Set's attacks. Her forehead was throbbing dully. Morrigan carefully opened her eyes and groaned as the bright light coming through her window hurt her all-of-a-sudden too sensitive eyes. Who had forgotten to close the darn blinds? For that matter, who had gotten her to her house and into the bedroom – and into bed? Morrigan's head ached with the questions and a last one wormed its way through: who had put her into her pajamas?!  
"Oh, damn," she whispered as she tried to sit up and her whole world tilted sideways.  
"You should take it easy," a male voice said and she squinted into the direction it had come from.  
"Anubis?" she asked hoarsely.  
"Who else?" he asked lightly.  
Yeah, right, who else? Morrigan clenched her teeth as every syllable evoked a throb. But did he have to sound so cheerful? Memories of how she had gotten here trickled back. Something involving bright blue flames had been involved. She faintly recalled being in home, then there was nothing. She must have dropped dead the moment her body had touched the mattress.  
"Got an aspirin?" she groaned.  
Anubis walked over to her. "Aspirin?"  
"Forget it."  
"I'm sorry," he now said.  
Morrigan squinted at him. "Oh?"  
Anubis squirmed under her gaze. "I thought it would go better," he muttered, half-apologetically.  
The squint turned into a narrow-eyed glare. "You thought so, eh?" she echoed. "Well, think again. I feel like I partied all night!" Morrigan rose carefully and padded over to the bathroom, glancing into the mirror. She was greeted by a pale, exhausted reflection of herself. "Hello, stranger," she muttered and splashed water into her face. It helped to rouse her a bit, but not much.  
Anubis leaned against the door's frame, regarding her with a smile, arms loosely crossed in front of his chest. "You did well, by the way."  
"Oh, thanks," was the sarcastic reply.  
Morrigan's eyes fell on the amulet still around her neck. Her first instinct was to give it back, then a nasty part of her mind told her to keep it for all the trouble she had had. And it was beautiful. The blue of the stone seemed to deepen momentarily and she felt a tingle in the back of her neck.  
"I mean it, Morrigan."  
"As long as you are happy," she muttered, thinking that a coffee might be in order, then a long bath and maybe a day just lying on the couch. Yes, that sounded fine. She turned and nearly bumped into the ebony-colored jackal. Now that she had a look at him up close, Morrigan discovered a dozen half-healed wounds.  
"I think I'm running out of disinfectant," she mumbled and grabbed his arm, pulling him unceremoniously with her.  
"I'm fine!" the Egyptian god protested, eyes wide. "It'll heal."  
"Yeah, yeah. Sit!"  
He obediently sat on the chair and watched her rummage through the first aid box with interest. "You know my healing powers are back," Anubis pointed out.  
"So why do you look like you had an argument with a mob of angry hedgehogs?" Morrigan shoved some cloths into his hands. "Hold that."  
Anubis shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I used up most of my energies to send Set back through the Western Gate," he then mumbled, fumbling with the cloths.  
"Ah." Morrigan dabbed some disinfectant on a gash at his upper arm. Anubis yelped and pulled back. "Oh, don't be such a baby, Nu!" He glared at her. "And you can stop with the evil looks. I'm immune."  
After she had tortured him for a while, spreading the disinfectant graciously all over the injuries, she threw the now dirty cloths away and went to wash her hands. She made a mental shopping list that included a big bottle of disinfectant. Anubis regarded the stinging areas all over his body with a pathetic expression.  
"You could have been more gentle," he said plaintively.  
"I was."  
He grimaced, flexing one hand.  
"So, what's next on your agenda?"  
"Nothing much. Set is beyond the Western Gate and I doubt we'll see him again quite that soon. He will be busy licking his wounds." Anubis followed her to the kitchen as Morrigan went downstairs for a much needed wake-up coffee.  
Morrigan raised both eyebrows. "Well, I do hope so. I don't want to do this ever again."  
Anubis sat down on one of the kitchen stools, forearms resting on the table. "Neither do I," he told her seriously.  
"I thought you would return home as well?" she asked after a while, watching the coffee machine work.  
Anubis shrugged. "Not yet. I have a lot to make up and I have just started. And there is no place for me behind the Gate yet."  
Morrigan grinned. "Applying for a job as Rapses' fifth guardian?"  
"Gods don't guard pharaohs," the jackal-headed god told her haughtily.  
She laughed. "Of course not."  
"But we do move in as sub-tenants when we are invited." He raised one brow.  
Morrigan poured herself a cup of coffee, hen regarded the ebony-colored jackal over the steaming mug. Sub-tenant.... An Egyptian god! Grandma Winters would have thrown a fit – were she still alive. And what else would happen if he moved in? Reappearances of Set? Other gods coming to visit? Mummies piling up in the living room? How could she keep her friends from finding out she had an ancient god living with her? She could already hear Em and her constant nagging that Morrigan needed to find a man in her life. She snorted. Man?  
"As long as you don't shed hair on the carpet...." she finally answered.  
Anubis only smiled and his eyes glinted.  
"Oh, I just know I'm going to regret this," Morrigan sighed.


End file.
